1st Crimean conference of the leaders of the three allied powers. Start in science. Medea and Jason with the Golden Fleece on the Argo

Or the meeting of the leaders of the USSR, USA and Great Britain Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, all researchers and historians call historical. It was there, from February 4 to February 11, 1945, that a number of decisions were made that determined the structure of Europe and the world as a whole for decades to come.

Not Malta, not Sicily, not Rome. To Yalta!

The first meeting of Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill took place in November 1943 in Tehran. It determined the preliminary dates for the Allied landings in Europe in 1944.

Immediately after Tehran-43 and the landing of allied troops in France in June 1944, the heads of the three states began to test the waters about holding a meeting in personal correspondence. According to historians, US President Franklin Roosevelt was the first to raise the topic of a new conference, or as they say now, a summit. In one of his messages to Stalin, he writes: “a meeting should soon be arranged between you, the Prime Minister and me. Mr. Churchill completely agrees with this idea.”

The meeting was originally supposed to be held in Northern Scotland, Ireland, then on the island of Malta. Possible meeting places also included Cairo, Athens, Rome, Sicily and Jerusalem. However, the Soviet side, despite the objections of the Americans, insisted on holding the conference on its territory.

Churchill, like the Americans, did not want to go to Crimea and noted in a letter to Roosevelt that “the climate and conditions there are terrible.”

Nevertheless, the southern coast of Crimea and specifically Yalta, which was less destroyed after the occupation, were chosen as the meeting place.

"Eureka" and "Argonaut"

What Stalin allowed the British Prime Minister, who did not want to go to Crimea, was to give the code name for the conference, which was mentioned in secret correspondence. Namely "Argonaut". Grumpy Churchill proposed this name, as if drawing a parallel between the ancient heroes of ancient Greek myths, who went to the Black Sea region for the Golden Fleece, and the participants of the Yalta Conference, who went to almost the same places, but the “Golden Fleece” for them would be the future of the world and the division of spheres of influence .

Greek mythology hovered invisibly in the relations of the Big Three. It is no coincidence that the Tehran meeting of 1943 was held under the code name “Eureka”. According to legend, it was with this legendary exclamation (“Found!”) that Archimedes of Syracuse discovered the law that “on a body immersed in a liquid...”.

It is no coincidence that Tehran-43 showed a convergence of the positions of the heads of the three great powers, who really found a common language and ways to full cooperation.

Airplanes, anti-aircraft guns, ships and armored trains: safety comes first

Although in February 1945 the war was in its final stages, increased attention was paid to the security of the participants in the Yalta Conference.

According to the Russian writer and historian Alexander Shirokorad, which he cites in his publication in the Independent Military Review, thousands of Soviet, American and British security and safety personnel, ships and aircraft of the Black Sea Fleet and the US Navy were involved to ensure the safe conduct of the meeting. UK. On the US side, Marine Corps units took part in protecting the President.

The air defense of the Saki airfield alone, which hosted the delegation, consisted of more than 200 anti-aircraft guns. The batteries were designed to conduct seven-layer fire at a height of up to 9000 m, aimed fire at a height of 4000 m and barrage fire at a distance of up to 5 km to the airfield. Over 150 Soviet fighters covered the sky above him.

In Yalta, 76 anti-aircraft guns and almost 300 anti-aircraft machine guns and heavy machine guns were deployed. Any aircraft that appeared over the conference area was to be shot down immediately.

Highway security was provided by personnel at seven checkpoints consisting of more than 2 thousand people.

As motorcades of delegations participating in the conference passed along the entire route, all other traffic was stopped, and residents were evicted from residential buildings and apartments overlooking the route; state security officers took their place. About five NKVD regiments and even several armored trains were additionally transferred to Crimea to ensure security.

To protect Stalin, together with the Soviet delegation in the Yusupov Palace in the village of Koreiz, 100 state security officers and a battalion of 500 NKVD troops were allocated. For foreign delegations that arrived with their own guards and security services, the Soviet side allocated external guards and commandants for the premises they occupied. Soviet automobile units were allocated to each foreign delegation.

There is no reliable information that Hitler intended to assassinate his opponents in Crimea. And he had no time for that then, when Soviet troops were already a hundred kilometers from the walls of Berlin.

Russian hospitality: caviar with cognac, but without bird's milk

Saki airfield became the main airfield for receiving delegations arriving in Crimea. The airfields of Sarabuz near Simferopol, Gelendzhik and Odessa were considered as reserves.

Stalin and a delegation of the Soviet government arrived in Simferopol by train on February 1, after which they went by car to Yalta.

Churchill's and Roosevelt's planes landed in Saki about an hour apart. Here they were met by People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Molotov and other high-ranking officials of the USSR. In total, 700 people who were part of the official delegations of the United States and Great Britain at meetings with Stalin were brought to Crimea from Malta, where the meeting between the American president and the British prime minister took place the day before.

According to the first researcher of the unofficial nuances of the Yalta meeting, Crimean historian and local historian Vladimir Gurkovich, with whom a RIA Novosti correspondent (Crimea) spoke, the allied delegations were greeted with great fanfare. In addition to the mandatory guards of honor and other honors in this case, the Soviet side also arranged a grand reception not far from the airfield.

In particular, three large tents were set up, where there were tables with glasses of sweet tea with lemon, bottles of vodka, cognac, champagne, plates with caviar, smoked sturgeon and salmon, cheese, boiled eggs, black and white bread. This is despite the fact that food cards were still in effect in the USSR, and Crimea was liberated from the occupiers less than a year ago.

Gurkovich's book about everyday and unofficial details of the Yalta Conference was published in 1995 and became the first such publication on this topic. The local historian collected evidence from participants in the events who were still alive at that time: security guards - NKVD employees, cooks, waiters, pilots ensuring “clear skies” over Crimea.

He says that, according to the testimony of one of the cooks who prepared dishes for the reception at the Saki airfield, there were no restrictions on food and drinks.

“Everything had to be at the highest level, and our country had to confirm this level. And the tables were really bursting with all kinds of delicacies,” notes the Crimean local historian.

And this is only on the tables of official delegations. And American and English pilots were received at the Saki military sanatorium named after Pirogov, where about 600 places were prepared for them. Russian hospitality was evident here too. They were prepared according to a menu approved by a special order of the Chief of Logistics of the Black Sea Fleet. According to eyewitnesses, the tables were also laden with abundance: they had everything on them except bird's milk.

Churchill smoked a cigar in Simferopol, and Stalin shaved in Alushta

In fact, this stop of the British Prime Minister in Simferopol, at 15 Schmidt Street, cannot be called secret. Along the route of the motorcades from Sak, several places for possible rest stops were provided. One of them was in Simferopol, and the second in Alushta. The first of them was used by Churchill on the way to Yalta, and the second by Stalin.

The house on Shmidt Street in Simferopol was previously a reception house, or otherwise the hotel of the Council of People's Commissars of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. During the occupation, high-ranking Wehrmacht officers lived there, so the building and interior were quite well maintained and ready to receive distinguished guests.

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was a famous lover of cognac and cigars, which he consumed without sparing his health. During the flight from Malta, which is quite a long journey, he sent a telegram to Stalin that he was already on the flight and had “already had breakfast.” And at the airfield in Saki, the allies were greeted with no less warm hospitality, with Armenian cognac and champagne for the British prime minister.

As Vladimir Gurkovich notes, there is nothing unusual about Churchill’s stop in Simferopol. He most likely needed time to “come to his senses, think and smoke a cigar once again.” And he stayed in the guest house for no more than an hour, and indeed, going out onto the balcony, according to the testimony of one of the state security officers, he smoked a traditional cigar.

Gurkovich also cites data that the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, Joseph Stalin, after arriving in Crimea, stayed in Alushta - at the so-called "Golubka" dacha of retired tsarist general Golubov, on the first floor. “Here he rested and shaved,” testified the archival recording found by Gurkovich.

“Dove” is also notable for the fact that it was here that the future heir to the throne Nikolai Alexandrovich (Nicholas II) and his future wife Alexandra Fedorovna stayed in 1894, after the blessing of their marriage by Emperor Alexander III, who was dying in Livadia.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt from Sac immediately went to the Livadia Palace without stopping.

Roosevelt and Churchill, after the conference, visited Sevastopol, which was in ruins. And the British prime minister visited Balaklava, where one of his ancestors died in the Crimean War (the first defense of Sevastopol in 1854-1855). However, he does not mention this trip in his memoirs.

Stalin to the Yusupovs, Roosevelt to the Romanovs, Churchill to the Vorontsovs

The main venue for the meeting was Livadia, the former estate of Russian emperors, starting with Alexander II. The well-known Livadia Palace was built in 1911 by the architect Nikolai Krasnov for the last of the Romanovs, Nicholas II.

It was the Livadia Palace that was designated as the main residence of the US delegation at the negotiations, headed by Roosevelt. The President of the United States had been confined to a wheelchair since 1921 due to polio and had limited mobility. Therefore, Stalin, in order not to once again put Roosevelt’s health at risk and to create comfortable conditions for him, appointed Livadia for work - both to accommodate the US delegation and the meetings of the Big Three summit.

Churchill and the British delegation received the no less luxurious palace of the Governor-General of Novorossiya, Count Vorontsov, in Alupka, which was built according to the design of the English architect Edward Blore.

Stalin chose the palace of Prince Yusupov in Koreiz for his residence.

A number of researchers note that this location was allegedly chosen not by chance: Koreiz is located between Alupka and Livadia, and Stalin could observe all the movements of the allies.

To put it mildly, this is not true, or not entirely true. The surveillance and wiretapping services of the Soviet state security worked at a high level, so it is unlikely that Stalin would pull back the curtain and observe with what frequency motorcades shuttle between the British and American residences.

Furniture and food were delivered in trains

The palaces of the South Coast looked very deplorable after the occupation. The Germans tried to take away all the most valuable furnishings and decorations. Therefore, enormous efforts were made on the Soviet side to make the conference as comfortable as possible.

Suffice it to say that for this purpose, over 1,500 wagons of equipment, building materials, furniture, sets, kitchen utensils and food were delivered to Crimea.

20 thousand working days were spent on repairing the Livadia Palace alone. Air-raid shelters were built in Livadia, as well as in Koreiz and Alupka, since the possibility of an enemy air raid could not be ruled out.

Roosevelt, who was apprehensive about traveling to the summit, was nevertheless delighted with the design of his apartment. Everything was to his taste: the curtains on the windows, the draperies on the doors, the bedspreads on his and his daughter’s beds, and even the telephones in all the rooms were blue. This color was Roosevelt's favorite color and, as he put it, "caressed his blue eyes."

In the White Hall of the palace, where the main meetings of the conference took place, a round table was installed for negotiations between the Big Three. For the working needs of the members of the delegations, they prepared the former billiard room, where most of the documents were signed, the internal Italian courtyard and the entire garden and park ensemble.

In Livadia, where not only the American delegation was located, but also where the main negotiations between the leaders of the USSR, USA and Great Britain took place, three power plants were installed. One working and two backup. In Alupka and Koreiz - two each.

The publication was prepared on the basis of RIA Novosti’s own materials (Crimea) and open sources

From February 4 to February 12, 1945, a conference of the leaders of the three allied powers - the USSR, the USA and Great Britain - took place in Crimea. The Soviet delegation was headed by I.V. Stalin, American - F. Roosevelt, English - W. Churchill. People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR V.M. took part. Molotov, US Secretary of State E. Stettinius, British Foreign Secretary A. Eden, as well as the chiefs of general staff and advisers of the countries participating in the conference.

The question of a summit meeting was first raised by F. Roosevelt and W. Churchill in July 1944. The final date and place of the meeting were determined in further correspondence between the leaders of the three powers. F. Roosevelt's nomination of his candidacy for a new presidential term, his participation in the election campaign and taking office made it impossible to open the conference before the beginning of February 1945.

The US President suggested Northern Scotland, Cyprus, Athens or Malta as a meeting place, the British Prime Minister - Alexandria or Jerusalem. I.V. Stalin vigorously defended his proposal: the southern coast of Crimea, and in the end he managed to convince the allies that the Soviet government was able to ensure complete security for the conference.

The meeting of the “Big Three” took place at the final stage of the Second World War. As a result of the successful offensive actions of the Red Army, the territory of our country, most of Poland, was completely liberated, our divisions entered German territory. On June 6, 1944, Allied troops landed in northern France, the long-awaited second front opened, the anti-fascist movement in the occupied countries was gaining strength, and the situation in the Pacific theater of military operations changed for the better.

At the Crimean Conference, the Allied powers agreed on joint military measures for the final defeat of the armed forces of Nazi Germany, determined their attitude towards Germany after its unconditional surrender and outlined the basic principles of a common policy regarding the post-war organization of the world.

The leaders of the Allied Powers solemnly declared: “It is our unyielding goal to destroy German militarism and Nazism and to ensure that Germany will never again be able to disturb the peace of the world. We are determined to disarm and disband all German armed forces, to destroy once and for all the German General Staff, which has repeatedly contributed to the revival of German militarism, to confiscate or destroy all German military equipment, to liquidate or take control of all German industry that could be used for military purposes. production; to subject all war criminals to just and speedy punishment... to wipe out the Nazi Party, Nazi laws, organizations and institutions from the face of the earth; eliminate all Nazi and militaristic influence from public institutions, from the cultural and economic life of the German people...”

It was emphasized that after the eradication of Nazism and militarism, the German people would be able to take their rightful place in the community of nations.

The most important issue at the Crimean Conference was the creation of the United Nations. The agreement on the voting procedure in the Security Council (the “Yalta Formula”) took into account the principle of unanimity of the permanent members of the Council, defended by the Soviet delegation, when making decisions on all issues related to ensuring peace and security. The communiqué adopted at Yalta emphasized that the United Nations would play an important role “both to prevent aggression and to eliminate the political, economic and social causes of war through close and constant cooperation of all peace-loving peoples.”

In the context of discussing UN issues, the Soviet delegation obtained the consent of the United States and Great Britain for the Ukrainian SSR and the Belarusian SSR to become founding members of the international organization being created.

The “Declaration of a Liberated Europe” emphasized the desire of the Allied powers to coordinate their actions in solving the political and economic problems of a liberated Europe. The declaration stated: “The establishment of order in Europe and the reconstruction of national economic life must be achieved in such a way as will enable the liberated peoples to destroy the last traces of Nazism and fascism and to create democratic institutions of their own choice.” It was stated that, in accordance with the right of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they would live, provision should be made for the restoration of sovereign rights and self-government to those peoples who had been deprived of these by aggressive states through violence. The determination, together with other peace-loving countries, to create an international legal order consistent with peace, security, freedom and the general welfare of mankind was confirmed.

At Yalta, the Allied Powers reaffirmed their desire to see Poland strong, free, independent and democratic and to guarantee its security. As a result of decisions taken in Yalta and later in Potsdam, Poland received a significant increase in its territory in the north and west.

At the Crimea Conference, the Soviet Union committed itself to entering the war against Japan two to three months after the end of the war in Europe. At the same time, the following conditions were set: maintaining the status of Outer Mongolia (Mongolian People's Republic); restoration of Russian rights violated by the treacherous attack of Japan in 1904, including the return to the Soviet Union of the southern part of Sakhalin Island and all adjacent islands; transfer of the Kuril Islands to the Soviet Union. The leaders of the three great powers agreed that these conditions of the Soviet Union "must be unconditionally satisfied after the victory over Japan."

The conference communiqué noted “the determination to preserve and strengthen in the coming period of peace that unity of purpose and action which has made victory in modern war possible and certain for the United Nations.”

The Crimean Conference, along with the Potsdam Conference, marked the end of the largest historical geopolitical conflict and determined the political appearance of the world in the second half of the 20th century. A system of international relations emerged, which, based on a new balance of forces, predetermined the need to take into account the interests of the two superpowers, which, in turn, gave international processes a high degree of controllability.

The decisions of the Crimean Conference reflected the reasonable and realistic policy of statesmen of the three powers. They showed high negotiability, made compromises without hiding political differences, agreed on rules of conduct and achieved a relative balance that kept the world in relative stability for almost fifty years.

The Yalta agreements are an invaluable methodological experience from the point of view of harmonizing the current and future international order. The decisions adopted in Yalta in concentrated form embodied the many years of experience of peoples in their struggle against fascism and militarism. The success of the conference was greatly facilitated by the measures taken by the Soviet leadership aimed at intensifying international relations, which contributed to the strengthening of the anti-Hitler coalition, the growth of trust in the Soviet Union and its international authority.

A major role in this process was played by the Soviet diplomatic service, whose activities during the war years, in the well-known expression of I.V. Stalin, was equal to the efforts of 20 divisions at the front. The struggle for the comprehensive and complete implementation of the decisions of the Crimean Conference became one of the main tasks of Soviet diplomacy not only in wartime, but also in the post-war years.

In conditions when the controversy surrounding the Yalta agreements remains part of the modern political struggle on the cardinal problems of war and peace, Russian diplomacy makes full use of its resources, repelling fabrications about alleged Soviet and Russian “violations” of the Yalta agreements or about the “unilateral benefit” of the Yalta decisions for our country. It actively promotes a course towards strengthening international peace, general security and stability in order to establish a fair and democratic international system based on collective principles in solving international problems, on the supremacy of international law, primarily on the provisions of the UN Charter, as well as on equal rights and partnerships relations between states with the central coordinating role of the UN as the main organization regulating international relations.

Letter from the US Ambassador to the USSR W.A. Harriman to the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR V.M. Molotov with a proposal to J.V. Stalin to designate the upcoming meeting of the leaders of the three allied powers - the USSR, the USA and Great Britain in Yalta with the code name "Argonaut".
January 8, 1945

Letter from the USSR People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs V.M. Molotov to the US Ambassador to the USSR W.A. Harriman about J.V. Stalin's agreement with the choice of the code name "Argonaut" for the upcoming meeting of the leaders of the three allied powers.
January 10, 1945

List of persons accompanying I.V. Stalin at the Crimean Conference.
January 1945

List of people who attended dinner with I.V. Stalin in the Yusupov Palace.
February 8, 1945

Lunch menu at the Vorontsov Palace with autographs of J.V. Stalin, W. Churchill and F.D. Roosevelt.
February 10, 1945

Protocol of the Crimean Conference" with signatures - E.R. Stettinius, V.M. Molotov and A. Eden (first and last pages).
February 11, 1945

Reading time: 4 min

Yalta Conference 1945 - Stalin I.V. Roosevelt F.D. Churchill W.

The Yalta or Crimean Conference was another meeting of the leaders of Great Britain, the USSR, and the USA during the Second World War. The meeting took place in 1945 in February. The city of Yalta on the Crimean Peninsula was chosen as the location. The conference took place over 8 days, which resulted in the signing of a number of acts that predetermined the system of the future world order and in Europe in particular.

Conference participants

The conference participants were representatives of three member states of the anti-Hitler coalition: Winston Churchill from Great Britain, Joseph Stalin from the USSR, Franklin Roosevelt from the USA. Accordingly, all three delegates were leaders and leaders of their states.

Separate palaces were allocated for each representative. So, Stalin and delegates from the USSR were located in a small village near Yalta. The palace was built back in the 19th century.

Roosevelt and representatives of the American delegation were accommodated in 3 km away. from Yalta itself. It is worth noting that it was in the Livadia Palace that all significant meetings of the participants of the Yalta Conference took place.

The British delegation led by Prime Minister Churchill settled in the city located at the foot of the famous.

Conference location

Meeting of Foreign Ministers - Crimean (Yalta) Conference 1945

Some sources indicate that the initiative to hold the conference in Yalta came personally from Stalin, who sought to demonstrate the decisive role of the USSR in the fight against Nazi Germany. Other sources refer to the fact that the American president chose Yalta because of his health. As you know, Crimea is a resort and health resort, and Roosevelt at that time was experiencing serious health problems.

In February 1945, it was 9 months since Crimea was liberated from the occupation of German troops. Yalta itself was not in the best condition. For this purpose, in preparation for the meeting of coalition leaders, about 1,500 carloads of construction materials, equipment, and furniture were delivered to the city over several months.

All meetings of delegations within the framework of the conference were held in the largest hall of the Livadia Palace - the White Hall. For this purpose, a large round negotiating table was equipped in its very center.

Agreements reached during the conference

At the Yalta Conference, many agreements were reached concerning the interests of each of the participating parties.

1. The leaders decided to divide Germany into occupation zones. It was assumed that each side would receive a certain section of the country's territory on which military bases would be created. A decision was made to completely disarm Germany and completely eliminate the Nazi regime in it.
2. It was at the Yalta Conference that the first agreements were reached on the creation of the United Nations, which would regulate international problems peacefully. At the same time, the date was set for the first conference within the framework of the creation of the UN.
3. The parties signed the “Declaration of a Liberated Europe,” which emphasized that the liberated peoples of Eastern Europe would be restored to their rights, but at the same time indicated the possibility of the victorious countries to “help” them in this.
4. The issue of the structure of Poland was actually resolved. At the initiative of the USSR, an alternative government was formed there, consisting of both communists and democrats. In fact, the USSR secured for itself in the future the opportunity to establish a regime convenient for itself in Poland.
5. Agreements have been reached regarding future borders between the countries. This question was fundamental and meant the division of spheres of influence in the future Europe.
6. A compromise was found regarding compensation to the victorious countries for the damage caused by Germany. Thus, the USSR received the right to claim half of all compensation paid by Germany to Great Britain and the USA.
7. As a result of the Yalta Conference, the USSR expanded its territory by returning the Kuril Islands and South Sakhalin in the future. The Soviet military had the opportunity to rent a base in the city of Port Arthur, as well as the Chinese Eastern Railway.
8. At the conference, the leaders of the three states agreed on the return to the USSR of people liberated or captured in those areas that were captured by US and British troops.
9. Finally, during the conference, the leaders of the so-called “Big Three” resolved the issue regarding the future structure of Yugoslavia and Greece.

The significance of the Yalta Conference for history

The conference in Yalta became a world-class event. Decisions that were fateful for millions of people were made there. The meeting of the leaders of the anti-Hitler coalition itself showed that states with different ideologies can cooperate with each other and jointly solve common world problems. The Yalta Conference was the last meeting of the leaders of the three countries in such a composition, as well as the last conference of the pre-nuclear world era.

It was the Yalta Conference that predetermined and actually formalized the division of the world into two camps, which in the future will compete with each other for spheres of influence in the world.

Such a system was able to exist for half a century until the collapse of the USSR, but many of the decisions that were made at meetings within the conference are still in effect. Thus, the UN still exists, the borders of European states have remained practically unchanged, the only exception being the collapse of Yugoslavia in the 90s. XX century. The agreements of the conference are still in force regarding the integrity of China and the independence of the two Koreas - South and North.

The agreement between the USSR, USA, and Great Britain, reached at the conference regarding the border between the USSR and Japan, still remains in force and has not changed for 70 years.
The results of the conference are still the subject of political disputes and mutual accusations. The decisions taken by the leaders of the participating states are currently being interpreted and used by the warring parties as propaganda policies.

The code word for all meetings concerning the organization of the conference and meetings at it was the word “Argonaut”. This idea was proposed by British Prime Minister Churchill. The word was not taken by chance, since it is a reference to the ancient Greek myth about the Argonauts who were looking for the Golden Fleece. Churchill associated Crimea with the city of Colchis, which the Argonauts were looking for. Churchill and Roosevelt called themselves Argonauts. Stalin reluctantly agreed to this version of the code word.
It is known that Churchill was the one who did not want to go to Yalta the most, calling the Crimean climate and conditions in the city terrible.

There were no reporters at the conference itself. Churchill took the initiative to make the meeting informal. Only a few military photographers were invited from each side and took a small number of photographs. It is known that the leaders of the USA and the USSR welcomed this initiative.
The Yalta Conference could well have been held in Odessa and called the Odessa Conference. Odessa was considered as a backup option in case there was bad weather in Crimea.

The most recent leader to leave Yalta was Winston Churchill. The conference itself ended on February 11, and the British Prime Minister left Crimea only on February 14, having visited. It was in this place in 1854-1855. As part of the Crimean War, British troops fought on the side of the Ottoman Empire against the troops of the Russian Empire.

Monument dedicated to the conference

The idea of ​​installing a monument dedicated to the Yalta Conference arose many years later. The sculptor Zurab Tsereteli began to implement the idea. In 2005, a monument was prepared depicting the leaders of the USSR, USA and Great Britain sitting on chairs. The weight of the composition was within 10 tons, and bronze was chosen as the material. It was assumed that the monument would be erected in Livadia in the same year, 2005, on the anniversary of the conference. The event did not take place due to protests from a number of Ukrainian parties. Only in 2014 the monument was transferred to Crimea, and on February 5, 2015 it was inaugurated as part of the 70th anniversary of the conference itself.

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Introduction

History is a lantern to the future,

which shines upon us from the past.

Vasily Osipovich Klyuchevsky.

There have been many different events in world history that have had a very powerful influence on its course in the future, and even on the situation in the world today. There are quite a lot of such events in history, but the most famous of them are the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Great French Revolution of 1789-1799, and many, many other events and processes that took place in world history...

My work will be about one of the events that occurred precisely during the Second World War, and in which we took an active part. I would like to talk about the Yalta Conference on February 4-11, 1945 and its role in the post-war world order. When writing this work, my main goal was the following: to determine the role of the Yalta (Crimean) Conference in the post-war world order.

Based on what goal I decided to set myself the following tasks:

Understand how the conference of the heads of the “Big Three” in Crimea was prepared and organized. Consider the main issues that needed to be resolved at the Yalta Conference.

Follow the progress of the Yalta Conference. Find out what the results of the conference were and the decisions made.

Determine the role of the Yalta Conference and its principles in post-war international relations.

To understand whether the Yalta-Potsdam principles of the world order are being protected and preserved today.

The object of my research was the documents and final agreements of the Yalta Conference, as well as its role in the triad: Tehran-Yalta-Potsdam.

During the research, I decided to test the following hypothesis: The principles of the post-war world order adopted in Yalta in 1945 saved humanity from global war for 70 years.

The relevance of this topic lies in the fact that at present in our world those principles of the world order that were adopted during the Yalta Conference have been practically destroyed. The growing threat of World War III, which will most likely put an end to the existence of mankind, clearly demonstrates that the Yalta principles were a powerful force holding the world back from global war for such a long period of time.

I would also like to add that today there is such a problem as the revival of fascism in some countries liberated from fascist invaders (Poland, Ukraine, Romania, the Baltic countries), and Russophobia is actively being promoted and developing.

In addition, the very right of “veto”, introduced precisely at the creation of the UN, is today used in two ways. Using it, the country that has this right can impose a ban on any decision made during a UN meeting only because it is very beneficial from a financial point of view for this country to ban this decision or measure.

1. Reasons for holding and preparation of the Yalta Conference

The Yalta Conference became the second multilateral meeting of the leaders of the three countries of the anti-Hitler coalition - the USA, Great Britain and the Soviet Union.

The conference participants were located in three Crimean palaces: the USSR delegation headed by I.V. Stalin in the Yusupov Palace, the US delegation led by F. Roosevelt in the Livadia Palace and the British delegation led by W. Churchill in the Vorontsov Palace.

Another question arises: Why did you decide to hold the conference in Yalta? The thing is that it was somewhat symbolic. Yalta was the city that was recently liberated by Soviet troops. Hitler believed that after Crimea was conquered by German troops, it would remain German forever, i.e. Yalta would become the best resort in Germany. Thus, Soviet Yalta was a symbol of the liberation of people from the fascist yoke.

The USSR prepared to receive high-ranking guests in Yalta in just two months, despite the fact that Crimea was heavily damaged by military operations. US President Roosevelt was even “horrified by the extent of the destruction caused by the Germans in Crimea.”

2. Progress and decisions of the conference

So, based on the fact that the conference covered a large number of important issues that were then on the agenda, and on the solution of which depended what the world would be like, and whether the world would exist at all.

The following took part in the conference:

Leaders of the three allied powers: Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR I.V. Stalin, Prime Minister of Great Britain W. Churchill, President of the United States of America F.D. Roosevelt. The range of military and political issues discussed turned out to be quite wide.

The main ones were:

The question of reparations

The question of the post-war fate of Germany

The question of the post-war situation in Poland and Yugoslavia.

The question of the war between the USSR and Japan

The question of the post-war world order

The work of the Conference began with a consideration of the situation on the European fronts. The heads of government of the three powers instructed the military headquarters to discuss at their meetings the issues of coordinating the offensive of the allied armies from the east and west. During the conference I.V. Stalin received from F.D. Roosevelt letter in which Roosevelt recognized the fair position of the USSR regarding the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin Island.

This letter was translated orally by A.A. Gromyko, and at the end of his translation aloud, Stalin said: “The letter is important, America has now recognized the validity of our position on the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin. The Americans will probably insist on their position on the issue of the possibility of the Soviet Union participating in the war against Japan ...". [No. 2. P.15]

Stalin ended this topic of conversation with the words: “By taking the position the United States has now taken, it is as if they are rehabilitating themselves in our eyes for the fact that they sympathized with Japan in 1905.” Then, in Portsmouth after the Russo-Japanese War, peace negotiations were held between the Japanese delegation and the Russian delegation, headed by the head of government, Count Witte. At that time, the United States essentially helped Japan tear its territories away from Russia.

Thus, the question of the USSR's entry into the war in the Far East was resolved. The secret agreement signed on February 11, 1945 stipulated that the Soviet Union would enter the war against Japan two to three months after the surrender of Germany.

According to the terms of the agreement “On the Zones of Occupation of Germany and on the Administration of Greater Berlin,” the armed forces of the three powers were to occupy strictly defined zones during the occupation of Germany. The eastern part of Germany was intended for the Soviet Armed Forces to occupy. The northwestern part of Germany was allocated for occupation by British troops, the southwestern part by American troops. There were also “interesting” scenarios for the future of Germany. “If it has any future,” said W. Churchill at the meeting on February 4. The Prime Minister of Great Britain proposed separating its southern provinces from Germany, including Bavaria, and including them in the Danube Federation...” F.D. Roosevelt made a proposal to divide Germany into five independent states. Exotic ideas were received from the allies a lot. In response to W. Churchill’s statement that communism is suitable for Germany as a future type of government, I.V. Stalin was even forced to note that communism suits Germany “like a saddle for a cow.” So its division does not look at all. random.

The key problem, therefore, remained the German one. The conference participants signed a statement that, in particular, said: “Our unyielding goal is the destruction of German militarism and Nazism and the creation of guarantees that Germany will never again be able to disturb the peace of the whole world,” that “Germany will never again will be able to disrupt the peace", "disarm and disband all German armed forces and destroy the German General Staff forever", "seize or destroy all German military equipment, liquidate or take control of all German industry that could be used for war production; subject all war criminals to fair and speedy punishment...; wipe out the Nazi Party, Nazi laws, organizations and institutions from the face of the earth; eliminate all Nazi and militaristic influence from public institutions, from the cultural and economic life of the German people

The issue of reparations to Germany, initiated by the USSR, occupied a special place at the conference. The Soviet government demanded that Germany compensate for the damage caused to the allied countries by Hitler's aggression. The total amount of reparations was supposed to be 20 billion dollars, of which the USSR claimed 10 billion dollars. The collection of reparations through a one-time withdrawal from national wealth (equipment, machines, ships, rolling stock, German investments abroad, etc.) was envisaged mainly for the purpose of destroying Germany's military potential. During the discussion of this issue, the leaders of the United States and Great Britain were forced to admit that the Soviet proposals for reparations from Germany were quite fair. As a result of the negotiations, a protocol was signed, published in full only in 1947. It outlined the general principles for resolving the reparations issue and outlined the forms for collecting reparations from Germany. The Soviet delegation (reported by Deputy People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs I.M. Maisky, Chairman of the Reparations Commission, J.V. Stalin allowed him to speak in English) named the amount of 20 billion dollars. This was the smallest insignificant share of compensation for direct material losses of the USSR during the German occupation of the territories of the USSR and military operations. The damage to the Soviet Union was estimated by experts and economists at 2 trillion. 600 billion rubles. Western leaders verbally acknowledged the enormous damage suffered by the USSR, but in practice they were unwilling to do anything real to help the Soviet Union receive reparations. However, the Allies were never able to finally determine the amount of compensation. It was only decided that the United States and Great Britain would give Moscow 50% of all reparations.

Thinking only about how not to weaken post-war Germany and maintain its role as a “stronghold against Bolshevism,” W.S. Churchill, under various pretexts, refused to record in the protocol the exact amount of German reparations proposed by the Soviet delegation. F.D. Roosevelt, although he could have, did not “twist the arms” of his British partner, and for good reason.[№5.С. 246]

It is noteworthy that at the conference itself the US delegation did not touch upon the issue of a long-term loan of $6 billion, although such a proposal came from the Soviet side in response to vague American hints. An important place among the decisions of the Crimean Conference was occupied by the Declaration of a Liberated Europe. It was a document on policy coordination in helping peoples liberated from fascist occupation. The Allied Powers declared that the general principle of their policy towards the countries of liberated Europe was the establishment of an order which would enable the peoples "to destroy the last vestiges of Nazism and Fascism and to establish democratic institutions of their own choice." The Crimean Conference showed an example of the practical resolution of similar problems in relation to Poland and Yugoslavia.

The USSR received the western border with Poland in 1920, with a retreat from it in some areas of 5 to 8 km in favor of Poland. In fact, the border returned to the position at the time of the division of Poland between Germany and the USSR in 1939 under the Treaty of Friendship and Border between the USSR and Germany, the main difference from which was the transfer of the Bialystok region to Poland.[No. 5.P.301]

The agreement reached in Yalta on the Polish issue was undoubtedly a definite step towards resolving one of the most controversial issues of the post-war world order. The conference did not accept the Anglo-American plan to replace the Polish Provisional Government with some new government.

At the proposal of the USSR, the Crimean Conference discussed the issue of Yugoslavia. The point was to speed up the formation of a unified Yugoslav government on the basis of an agreement concluded in November 1944 between the chairman of the National Committee for the Liberation of Yugoslavia, I. Tito, and the Prime Minister of the Yugoslav exile government in London, I. Subasic.

In Yalta, the implementation of the idea of ​​a new League of Nations began. The Allies needed an interstate organization capable of preventing attempts to change the established boundaries of their spheres of influence. It was agreed that the UN's activities in resolving fundamental issues of ensuring peace would be based on the principle of unanimity of the great powers - permanent members of the Security Council with the right of veto.

I.V. Stalin managed to convince F.D. Roosevelt that the lack of veto power in certain conditions could turn against American interests and repeat the situation with the Charter of the League of Nations, which Congress had once rejected. Thus, I.V. Stalin achieved the agreement of his partners that among the founders and members of the UN would be not only the USSR, but also the Ukrainian SSR and the Byelorussian SSR. And it was in the Yalta documents that the date “April 25, 1945” appeared - the date of the beginning of the San Francisco Conference, which was intended to develop the UN Charter. [No.1.P.47]

During the Crimean Conference, a special declaration was adopted: “Unity in organizing peace, as well as in waging war.” It indicated that the states represented at Yalta reaffirmed their determination to preserve and strengthen in the coming period of peace that unity of action that made victory in the war possible and certain for the United Nations.

3. The significance of the Yalta Conference for the post-war world order and history

During the conference, the Heads of the three powers demonstrated a desire for cooperation, mutual understanding and trust. It was possible to achieve unity on issues of military strategy and the conduct of a coalition war. Powerful strikes by the Allied armies in Europe and the Far East were jointly agreed upon and planned.

As a result of the conference, the most important international legal documents were approved, such as the Declaration of Free Europe, documents on the basic principles of the creation of the international United Nations Organization.

The Crimean conference of the leaders of the USSR, USA and Great Britain was of great historical significance. It was one of the largest international meetings during the war and the highest point of cooperation between the three Allied powers in waging war against a common enemy.

Thus, the decisions of the Crimean Conference strengthened the anti-fascist coalition at the final stage of the war and contributed to the achievement of victory over Germany. The struggle for the comprehensive and complete implementation of these decisions became one of the main tasks of Soviet foreign policy not only at the end of the war, but also in the post-war years.

A global conflict may not necessarily be nuclear. This could be a conflict reminiscent of the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century, which was the de facto First World War. It was a series of local conflicts, separated in space and time, covering almost the whole of Europe. Now we see hotbeds of local wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. We may still have such outbreaks in the Caucasus and Central Asia. Thus, we may end up with a serious conflict zone along the perimeter of our borders. Of course, the collective West is trying in this way to destabilize the situation in Russia and bring the regime they need to power. In case of victory, they hope to openly and officially, unlike the times of the collapse of the USSR, impose their will on the vanquished.[№7.С.4]

Unlike the times of the USSR, Russia now does not have the opportunity to “play on enemy territory.” The only thing that can be seriously used is the civilizational crisis in the USA and, especially, in Western Europe. European civilization is losing its racial identity, religious identity. Europeans work less and less and consume more. The work ethic gives way to the ethic of the pursuit of pleasure. Similar trends, although to a lesser extent, can be traced in the United States. Demographically, in both the New and Old Worlds, the indigenous population is being replaced by newcomers. Our task is not to fall into this funnel of self-destruction together with the West. Perhaps, in these historical conditions, victory will not consist in winning, but in waiting for the enemy to disappear, as it were.

Politically, many decisions of the Yalta Conference are not respected today. For example, as a result of this conference, Germany was to be completely cleared of Nazism. She was prohibited from any assistance in spreading Nazism in other states. But what do we see? Today Germany supports the Kiev regime, despite the fact that it turns a blind eye to Russophobia, anti-Semitism and other Nazi manifestations. And sometimes he even supports ultranationalists and uses them in his own interests. I have a feeling that Germany’s support for current Ukraine contradicts the Yalta agreements. [No. 3.P.431]

Of course, the degradation of the world order that emerged as a result of the Yalta Conference was mainly due to the collapse of the USSR. But this was also superimposed on the spiritual crisis of Western civilization itself. Today, this is increasingly noticeable. It has gotten to the point that passengers on planes flying from Europe to Islamic states are being asked to remove their crosses. The world has become different.

Conclusion

The decisions reached in February 1945 at the Yalta Conference, the principles that were created at it, absolutely radically changed the very picture of the world and changed its future. To some extent, we can say that the Yalta conference in 1945 simply changed the world in its essence. I would like to note that historical science today has most successfully studied the following problems: the formation of the principles of the post-war structure during the Yalta Conference, the implementation of these principles in life, the historical importance and value of the Crimean Conference.

I believe that the goal of my work has been achieved, the tasks have been completed, and the hypothesis is generally correct - the principles of the post-war world order adopted in Yalta in 1945 saved humanity from global war for 70 years. Why is the problem of the post-war world order, the foundations of which were laid during the Yalta Conference, so relevant? Today, even in the UN, in the very organization that is called upon to preserve peace at any humane cost, speeches are made with threats against various countries, threats to send troops into the territory of a particular country in order to “establish order.” But to establish order that will be beneficial only to those who establish it. And there are many such examples: Kosovo, conflicts in Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan. But what next? Is it possible to bring back those principles, is it possible to hope that in the future the world will still be saved from a global war, humanity will still survive? Probably, humanity cannot give a definite answer at the moment. We can only hope and believe that one fine day people will remember that the same Yalta principles of world order, which have already become history, which have coped excellently for 70 (!) years with the problem of protecting the world from global war, are still quite applicable to the fight against war and terrorism today.

List of sources and literature

Sources:

A.A. Gromyko, I.N. Zemskov, V.A. Kryuchkov and others - “The Soviet Union at international conferences during the Great Patriotic War, 1941-1945: Collection of documents”, 1984.

The Soviet Union at international conferences during the Great Patriotic War, 1941-1945: Collection of documents. In 6 volumes / Foreign Ministry. affairs of the USSR. T. 2. Tehran Conference of the leaders of the three allied powers - the USSR, the USA and Great Britain (November 28 - December 1, 1943); T. 4. Crimean conference of the leaders of the three allied powers - the USSR, the USA and Great Britain (February 4-11, 1945). M.: Politizdat, 1984.

Literature:

Balashov A.I., Rudakov G.P. History of the Great Patriotic War / A. I. Balashov, G. P. Rudakov. - St. - Petersburg: Peter, 2006.

Gurkovich V. Crimean Conference of 1945. Memorable places / V. Gurkovich.-M.: Mysl, 1995.

Zuev M.N. History of Russia: Textbook for universities. - M.: PRIOR Publishing House, 2009.

Shevchenko O.K. The Yalta Conference in the mirror of historiography: on the issue of applying quantitative methods in history.-Simferopol, .2010

Internet resources:

Berets S. Yalta. System of the Universe: (Russian BBC Service) [Electronic resource] / Sergey Berets. - Date of publication: 2005.02.04. - Article access mode: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/hi/russian/news/newsid_4234000/4234225.stm

Butakov Y. Spirits of Yalta: changing options for globalization To the 60th anniversary of the Crimean Conference of the “Big Three”: (Political News Agency) [Electronic resource] / Yaroslav Butakov. - Date of publication: 2005.02.04. - Article access mode: http://www.apn.ru/opinions/article9230.htm

On February 4, 1945, near Yalta, the Crimean Conference opened in the Livadia Palace (Black Sea Observer newspaper) [Electronic resource]. - Publication date 2012.02.04. - Article access mode: http://yalta.tv/news/452---4--1945-------.html

Eggert K. Triumph and collapse of the Yalta system: (Russian BBC Service) [Electronic resource] / Konstantin Eggert. - Date of publication: 2005.02.11. - Article access mode: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/hi/russian/in_depth/newsid_4255000/4255969.stm

For Crimea, which has reunited with Russia, some pages of history are especially memorable. One of these events is the Yalta Conference in 1945, which hosted the leaders of the so-called. The Big Three on the eve of the end of World War II.

Yalta Conference: reasons, results, decisions

In February 1945, in the Livadia Palace, US President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister William Churchill and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks Joseph Stalin decided the post-war fate of the world. The conference took place in the ballroom of Emperor Nicholas II. The bedroom of the former Russian autocrat was given to Roosevelt, and Churchill and his retinue settled in the Vorontsov Palace in Alupka.

The location of the conference was not chosen by chance. The fact is that the head of the United States has been confined to a wheelchair for many years. Stalin makes a broad gesture - the meetings are held in the same building where the American president was accommodated in order to reduce his movements to a minimum. The whole world was watching what was happening in a small seaside village. The conference participants were provided with enhanced security.

Many years later, from the declassified archives of the KGB of the USSR, the script of the radio game will become known, thanks to which during the entire period of the Yalta Conference not a single air bomb fell on the heads of its participants. From a bunker located in one of the villages near Yalta, converted agents of the Nazi Abwehr, who were identified in advance, sent false information about weather conditions to Germany.

Even the food served to the table of the leaders of the three powers was carefully checked. Roosevelt loved cabbage soup, Churchill preferred broths, Stalin was absolutely not picky about food. Here, at an ordinary table, the final documents of the conference were signed. One of the most serious decisions was the decision to create the United Nations in the very near future. The issue of the place and time of the founding conference was agreed upon, at which the charter of this organization was supposed to be adopted.

In April 1945, a conference began its work in San Francisco, America, where this charter was ultimately adopted. A separate document agreed on issues of principle for the Soviet side regarding the fate of the Far East. Stalin, in private conversations, guaranteed the USSR's entry into the war with Japan. The political conditions under which the Soviet Union was to enter the war against Japan were discussed. This, in particular, is the return of those positions that Tsarist Russia lost as a result of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.

The Soviet Union, represented by Stalin, accepted the obligation to declare war on Japan, but this was to happen only a few months after hostilities in Europe ended. As is well known today, this is what happened. In August 1945, Soviet troops began to defeat the Kwantung Army, and in September of the same year, World War II ended.

The leaders of the Big Three countries in Yalta solved several very difficult problems. They defined the contours of new state borders between those countries that had recently been occupied by the Third Reich. The Allies were well aware that after their common enemy, Germany, disappeared from the political map, the forced union of the West and the USSR would lose all meaning. They should have developed procedures that would firmly guarantee the immutability of the new lines drawn on the post-war map of the world. This was partially achieved.

• Several years ago, the famous Russian director Tigran Keosayan shot a television mini-series “Yalta-45”, where the above-described events were recreated - of course, in the playful and exciting genre of part action film, part melodrama. The main emphasis was placed precisely on the prevention by Soviet intelligence of German attempts to disrupt the meeting of Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill.

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